Chalk Talk
Up Next: A
Wounded Bruin
DIAGRAM A
KEN WOODY
The Ducks get to go to LA and
face UCLA’s Bruins, who are on a two-
game losing streak (Stanford and
WSU). Knowing that their opponent
is squarely where Oregon has been this
year (fighting for redemption), the Ducks
will have to bear down in practice and
keep improving. UCLA’s head coach
Karl Dorrell is having a bit of a quarter-
back controversy of his own, starting
Matt Moore against Stanford and WSU,
but having to go later in the game
to Drew Olson, who has been more
effective statistically (27 points higher
in pass efficiency). The Bruins have
three outstanding running backs in
Tyler Ebell, Maurice Drew and Manuel
White, all who have rushed for 400
yards this season; and a wide receiver
who can fly deep, Craig Bragg. The
Ducks, who apparently simplified some
Play-of-the-Game!
Feature Writer
DUCKS ILLUSTRATED
“COMPLETE !!!”
“Deflected”
Corner
Pluck, Luck lead
to Duck Win
What the Ducks Improved On:
* Defensive pursuit, tackling:
holds Cal Offense to under 20 points
* Defensive third down conversions:
1-9 after the first quarter (5-6)
* Pass rush: defensive linemen getting
hands up
* QB’s Jason Fife, Kellen Clemens:
effective relief off the bench
* Pass blocking by running backs
* Power running: Dante Rosario -
4.8 average
* Tight end catching: Tim Day,
4 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD
* Special Teams: Timely runbacks,
punts and kickoffs
* Kenny Washington kickoff returns:
4 for 112 yards
* Justin Phinisee punt returns:
4 for 44 yards
* Zero Turnovers
The Ducks still have work to do.
There were two poor offensive plays called
in critical situations: Clemens throwing
long, incomplete to Parker on 3rd and two
on the final drive; and again, second and
goal from the one, throwing the ball
incomplete in the end zone, barely
escaping a sack and deflection (remember
WSU: first and goal from the two,
throwing the deflection/interception,
setting the stage for a complete rout?). If
you were wondering why the quarterbacks
4 NOVEMBER 13, 2003
DucksIllustrated
“Deflected”
Weatherspoon
Williams
Clemens
were going over to the sidelines, taking
extra time, to get the plays, it’s because
of the familiarity Cal coaches had
with Oregon's signals. A key play in
the first half was a 15-yard taunting
penalty on a senior defensive back
(apparently momentarily forgetting
he wasn't playing for OSU), which
helped Cal get the field goal which
put them in a 10-7 halftime lead. There
was a lot of booing in the stadium
with the official’s call. It would be
a mistake to think that all of it was
directed at the official. Some fans
remembered the Rose Bowl year of
1994 when Ricky Whittle made
a 54-yard touchdown run down the
sidelines and dove into the end zone,
taunting the pursuing Sun Devils. Rich
Brooks, head coach, ran down the
sidelines and pulled Whittle out of the
game and publicly reminded him there
is no “I” in team. It was a vivid lesson,
and everyone watching the game knew
what was going on, and still, to this
day, appreciated it.
The fans at Autzen deserve much
credit: one, for showing up after the
dismal showing by the Ducks in Seattle,
and two, for the weather and late start
for the game. When the stadium lights
went out, the crowd increased its
enthusiasm and backing of the Ducks.
Even as the Bears increased their lead,
the crowd stayed with it and in the end,
put out some positive vibes for the
team. Watching the team come into
the Moshofsky Center before the game,
through the traditional tunnel of fans
(come and check it out, 2 1 / 2 hours
before game time), you saw a wide variety
of “game faces.” Some were intense.
Frightfully, there were many that seemed
impassioned, bored or detached. When
the team comes out of the tunnel before
the game, it doesn’t seem like a team
excited about playing football. There were
spots of team enthusiasm Saturday night,
but there appears still to be a number
of players who spend considerable time
figuring out how to make themselves
noticed after a “big play” or any play,
for that matter. In the fourth quarter
Demetrius Williams caught a fourth
down pass and sped downfield for 19
yards before being pushed out of bounds.
He left the ball for the official, clapped
his hands and ran back to the huddle,
joining his teammates. I really appreciated
that play, and how it effected the
outcome. It was Duck football like we
all remembered it.
Photo by: Walt Grondona of Walt’s Photography
Just when you think you have them
figured out, Oregon’s Ducks throw you a
changeup-and this time, at last, it was
a good one. Trailing the Cal Bears 17-7
with six minutes to go in the game, Kellen
Clemens came off the bench to lead the
Duck offense to two touchdowns and
finally, a fourth-quarter victory, 21-17.
When Cal's Head Coach Jeff Tedford
reviews the films, he will probably wish
he had sophomore quarterback Aaron
Rodgers throw the ball deep more often;
the weather and conservative play calling
seemed to help Oregon’s defense. And,
the play the will hurt the most will be
the deflected pass freshman receiver
Kyle Weatherspoon caught off two Cal
defenders (after it deflected off the hands
of the intended receiver, Demetrius
Williams) for a huge first down in the
fourth quarter. That set up the next play,
a 31-yard completion to tight end Tim
Day, who ran over five defenders for
a touchdown that cut the lead to 17-14
(see Diagram A).
The defense came up big in the fourth
quarter, after allowing a touchdown on
a third and eighteen pass to begin the
quarter. Clemens came back in with a
shade over two minutes left and lead
a 43-yard touchdown drive in nine plays,
pitching the ball to Terrence Whitehead
for a TD with 47 seconds left in the game.
The Ducks accomplished a lot in practice
the past week, key elements that lead to
a big victory.
“Deflected”
Corner
Look for the Webfoots to exploit that
weakness. Oregon’s biggest challenge
will be UCLA’s defense, which in many
categories, is ranked second in the Pac-
10. Oregon coaches will watch closely
how WSU was able to run the ball
successfully on the Bruins. Throwing
the ball will be a challenge, largely
due to an outstanding pass rush and in
particular, from the defensive ends,
Dave Ball and his brother Matt. Dave
is the Pac-10’s sack leader and will be a
challenge for whichever Duck is play-
ing left tackle. Look for the Ducks to
help their offensive tackles out in pass
blocking by a variety of methods, with
a running back, tight end, or guard.
The Ducks own a four-game win-
ning streak over UCLA and lately,
seem to play well in the Rose Bowl. If
the Ducks can keep defensive third
down conversions under 38%, have
zero turnovers and keep the "us" in
team, they may very well be pleased
with the outcome of this one. Team
Demetrius Williams’ 4th down & two reception for 19 yards was a huge play for the Ducks.
of their coverages against Cal, will
have to keep improving: giving up
a touchdown on third and 18 to Cal
was inexcusable for a team that sees
itself fit for a bowl game. The Ducks
are still reluctant to blitz much, they
brought a strong safety/linebacker
blitz that put excellent pressure on
Cal’s Rogers in the first half, but never
went back to it later in the game.
However, the defense played well
enough to win, which was an excellent
accomplishment and shut Cal down
three successful drives in the fourth
quarter when it mattered most. Look for
the Bruins to work hard to run the ball
on the Ducks, much like the Huskies did.
UCLA’s punt game, coverage and
return, has hurt them the past two losses.
leader Kevin Mitchell commented after
the Cal win: “Hopefully now we realize
what it takes to win.” There’s more to it
than that. The Michigan game showed
what it takes to win. The Ducks get in
trouble when they seem to forget how
to do what it takes to win. Let’s see if
they remember this week.
Ken Woody played defensive back,
wide receiver and place kicker for the
UO from 1966-70. He coached college
football for 18 years, including stints at
the UO, UW, and WSU. He was a head
coach twice, at Whitman College and
Washington University-St. Louis. He also
did television football color commentary
for KCPQ (Seattle-Tacoma) and Fox
Sports Northwest for 14 years.